Are we creatures of habit? 'If only I could capture that moment in time...' This is a project 365 blog which aims to capture one moment, twice a day.

Friday, 21 June 2013

Day 193: When a slogan t-shirt=placard=our democratic process

Day 193 (17 Jun) Monday. Day 2 of the special council. I present to the council today. In Canberra, in a hotel, naturally I watch the latest political news and get ready for the first part of the morning before breakfast. I don't have a TV and nor do I miss it however, in most hotel rooms I've been in, you can't pick up the AM radio band. I just watch TV for the news, really, at 6.12am. There is ongoing speculation about the leadership. This is our democracy's achilles heel, it really shouldn't be taking so long to sort out.

The news and the day ahead, at 6.12am

Hotel breakfasts: cereals you haven't bought since you were a teen; the same scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, mushrooms, baked beans and pancakes; tinned fruit and yoghurt choices and bad, bad coffee. Having said that though, this is the only time I eat tinned peaches and/or apricots. I have no idea why.

Democratic opportunity

Talk at the table, of course, flows overs from yesterday and last night and anticipates the day ahead. Bring together 120 politically driven people and there's little room for small talk. I may not always agree with what my union determines, but I give it credit for presenting us with these opportunities to debate and discuss. Of course, we've all turned up in our red t-shirts...we're off to Parliament House in the first instance to make our point. Naturally, Canberra is cold and not really t-shirt weather but we will brave the elements for the cause. For a liberal democracy we have quite strict rules regarding protest: in Queensland, one must seek a police permit to march; some of us are of an age to recall where three people congregating in Queen Street Mall could result in a 'move on' notice...and here in Canberra at our greatest symbol of democracy (or that could be the 'Museum of Australian Democracy' down the road; as someone quipped, 'that's where you find democracy now, in a museum'...discuss) outside Parliament House, there are rules. We must stand on one side of the road, behind the railings, do not carry banners over that railing, do not stand on the footpath, if you wish to approach the entrance of parliament house, do not take placards, do not take banners, t-shirts for this purpose are considered placards--take them off or cover up...do not chant. Crikey.We do approach the entrance, t-shirts are kind of disguised under jumpers and jackets, we 'sing' a bit in protest. There is a bit of media coverage. We head back to the uni, via the tent embassy, for the day's proceedings.

The photographer's eye always sees...

After lunch (and a caucus meeting) my panel is up to talk to councillors about the 'numbers' side of the forthcoming federal election--the psephologist's delight. I am sharing the stage with Professor Brian Costar, a well-known analyst of federal politics. We have been asked to give an assessment of the likely outcome of the election and in an earlier conversation, we decided we were probably going to say pretty much the same thing. That being the case, I've decided to offer colleagues a view 'inside' the office of a senator who holds the balance of power...takes me back to my position in 1997-1999 working for a Queensland senator. The Union is planning to stump up a substantial sum of money, I feel it is incumbent upon me to let them know how these offices can work, and the bet you make when you play into 'balance of power' politics.

Stepping stones, at 6.12pm

There is much more discussion subsequently and tomorrow is the main day of debate and voting...unfortunately for me, commitments north mean I will miss the critical moment...but before that, following a post-meeting drink in the Fellows' Room, it is off to a local Vietnamese restaurant with some Qld colleagues, a further informal caucus and much jolly chat. It's a bit of a pressure release and quite enjoyable. It's needed, for tomorrow beckons.

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Getting started

At 6.12am on 6 /12

What am I doing?

Twelvepastsix, or 6.12, is an experiment in observation. I've long been fascinated by patterns in numbers, patterns in life. The 'SevenUp' series is perhaps one of my favourite documentaries. I'm fascinated and inspired in equal parts by the history captured in this style. The project 365 which I have discovered through Twitter, allows me, I think, a way to capture my experiment, on a much smaller scale.

My thinking was originally centred on choosing a time each day, the same time, to observe and understand behaviours in a small way. I toyed with a few ideas but decided on 6.12am/pm, for reasons set out in the first post: 6 December 2012, naturally.

The project will double as a brief journal of each day's events as well, to capture the small detail in its larger context. At year's end, I will be interested to see, just to what extent our days can be as habitual or as extraordinary as we recall.

The 'rule' is reasonably simple: I take a photo of whatever I am doing at 6.12, only the timezone may change depending on circumstances (where photography might be discouraged, forbidden or banned, for example). Most days should have two photos; most days should exist, notwithstanding crossings of the international dateline.

Finally, while this blog is inspired by community of presenters, producers, listeners and tweepsters of Brisbane radio station 612ABC, it is not endorsed by, or in any other way, affiliated with them.

About Me

I am an international relations academic specialising in Japan-Australia relations, Japanese and Australian politics and society and related areas. In April 2016, I relocated to Tokyo where I teach Japanese politics and Peace Studies in Japanese to Japanese students. I intend to write about these topics as well as serious distractions such as music, cricket, rugby league, books, photography and philosophy.